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Mr Wood, 56, is believed
to have killed wife Sheila, 54, and their daughter Sophie, 27, then
himself.

A family friend said Mrs Wood had been
told she had cancer and less than a year to live.

Police suspect
murder-suicide, but friends suggested Mr Wood may have believed he was
carrying out mercy killings as her failing health had left his
Irish-born wife in a wheelchair.

Detectives said there was no sign of struggle or forced entry at their rented villa, near Mijas Costa.

The family moved to Spain ten years
ago, hoping the climate would improve Sophie’s regular chest infections
linked to her cerebral palsy. She also had severe learning difficulties.

Past: Their British landlord alerted police after discovering them dead when he went to the property to find out why they hadn't paid rent and let himself in with a set of keys

Evidence: Police said there was no sign of any struggle at the family's rented £350,000 home in a leafy street on the Torrenueva residential estate near the popular Cala de Midis resort

Grim: The bodies - believed to be those of a couple and their daughter in her 20s - were discovered by their landlord in this rented apartment

Friends said the devoted couple had
initially enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle in Spain, dining and drinking
champagne at the finest restaurants and driving BMWs and Mercedes.

But
Briton Mr Wood lost his job in April last year. Debt collectors were
seen at the villa recently – and Mr Wood asked a friend to cash a cheque
for £26.

The bodies were discovered by their British landlord on Wednesday as he sought a rent payment.

Several neighbours say they heard
gunshots several days ago, prompting speculation the bodies may have
been there since the weekend.

Friends said Sophie had suffered brain damage as a baby and the family had struggled to cope.

In a radio interview last July, Mrs
Wood said she had found the lack of support in Spain ‘incredibly
difficult’ and caring ‘very isolating’, adding: ‘As we’re getting older
we are starting to think about Sophie’s future more. It’s a big worry.’

Scene: A shopping basket can be seen outside the front door to the property. There was not believed to be any sign of a struggle inside

Resort: This map shows the location of Mijas within Spain

Mrs Wood said Sophie was born 12 weeks
premature and had been in intensive care for six months after her
birth, and suffered brain damage during that time.

Neighbour Rebecca Lipcsei, 42, said Mr and Mrs Wood were desperate for a respite break.

‘Sheila was quite ill herself,’ she
said. ‘She was taking lots of pills and said her illness was terminal.
She said she had a year left, about two years ago.

‘Perhaps Philip could only see a
downward spiral. I know he would have had to have been pushed beyond
desperation to do something like that.’

Mr Wood, born to a British family in
Kenya, attended the independent Bromsgrove School in Worcestershire. The
family lived in Yardley Wood, Birmingham, moving to Ireland before
Spain.